Branch-lines by Lucy Newlyn

Branch-lines by Lucy Newlyn

'The one hundred and forty poems he wrote in the last two years of his life are a miracle. I can think of no body of work in English that is more mysterious.' - Michael Longley. When Edward Thomas died in the First World War, very few of his poems had been published, but he is now recognised as one of the finest and most influential poets of the last century. Although often referred to as 'a poet's poet', his writing has an almost universal appeal. He wrote accessibly, on traditional themes - the natural world, human relationships, transience and mortality. And yet his poetry is alive with the critical intelligence that came from years of writing non-fiction and reviewing verse. "Branch-Lines" captures the range of Thomas' achievement, not least by combining poetry with prose. In this unique collection, fifty-five contemporary poets reflect on Thomas' craftsmanship and enduring power. Some have chosen poems of their own in which they detect his influence, others have written new poems in his honour. Each poet has also contributed a piece of prose, and the volume contains an introduction, four critical essays, illustrations, a foreword by Andrew Motion and an afterword by Michael Longley. "Branch-Lines" offers a fascinating perspective on the workings of literary influence, with personal insights from some of the leading poet-critics of our time. 'The collection has a double value. It is a celebration of Thomas, and dignified tribute to his achievement; at the same time it bears witness to his powers of regeneration' - Andrew Motion. 'I read Thomas' collected poems at a sitting, poem by poem, all the way through and felt as I had not felt since reading Lawrence and Graves ten years before: I love this man, I can learn from him.' - David Constantine. 'I have always loved Edward Thomas' poetry' - Geoffrey Hill. 'He comes naturally, I think, to writers in English, like grass growing.' - U. A. Fanthorpe. 'When I started to try and write poetry and prose, a very uncertain beginning, it would have been even more uncertain if I hadn't read Thomas' poetry in my teens.' - Tom Paulin.

Edward Thomas (1878-1917) called himself 'mainly Welsh'. He grew up in London, but developed a passion for Nature. Hating the economic forces that had destroyed agricultural communities and expanded cities, Thomas absorbed, as his poetry shows, the literary and folk traditions of the English countryside. After studying history at Oxford, he lived in rural southern England, particularly Steep in Hampshire. He supported his family by writing reviews, country books, biography and criticism. Overwork caused (sometimes suicidal) depression and creative despair. This self-styled 'hurried & harried prose man' could not find a 'form that suits me'. Yet books such as The South Country (1909) and In Pursuit of Spring (1914) fertilised the poetry which - prompted by Robert Frost - Thomas began to write in December 1914. An influential poetry-reviewer, Thomas had praised Frost's North of Boston as 'revolutionary'. And its 'absolute fidelity to the postures which the voice assumes in the most expressive intimate speech' clarified his own artistic direction. Thomas's poem 'The sun used to shine' celebrates the poets' friendship, but also suggests Thomas's darker inspiration - the Great War. Although over-age, he enlisted in the Artists' Rifles (July 1915). He was killed at Arras (April 1917) before his first collection, Poems, appeared. Edna Longley's edition of his poetry, The Annotated Collected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2008), has established the most authoritative text of his work, and has the most comprehensive notes and critical apparatus of any edition.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781904634355
ISBN 10	1904634354
Title	Branch-lines
Author	Lucy Newlyn
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Enitharmon Press
Year published	2007-11-13
Number of pages	263
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.